Molded door facings and molded door assemblies are well known in the art. To form a door assembly, two separate door facings are molded and then attached to opposite sides of a frame. The door facings may be molded from a variety of materials such as polymers, wood composites, or metals. Depending on the application, the frame may be hollow or of a solid (non-hollow) construction. Hollow frames may be filled with a core component, such as corrugated cardboard, paper, fiberboard, insulation or foam. The core component may be selected to provide such benefits as added weight, impact resistance, noise reduction, temperature control and fire resistance.
A variety of different shapes and designs of door facings have been manufactured over the years. The advances in this field have been driven by the desire to economically provide an authentic-looking door having portions simulating the stiles, rails and panels found in traditional wooden doors. Methods have been developed to give door facings such designs elements at the time that the facings are molded or through subsequent processing operations. In addition to having different panels and designs, door facings are often provided with openings in which a window may be secured. Though molded doors may be cheaper than traditional solid wood doors, manufacturing molded door facings can still be costly.
When attaching the door facings to their frame, great care must be taken in order to ensure proper alignment. Misalignment may result in the rails or stiles of the door frame being unaligned (e.g., frame members protruding beyond the edges of the door facings) or may simply give the door a crooked appearance. A number of methods to assist in the alignment of door facings have been developed. Generally, such methods involve placing male alignment assemblies at multiple positions, usually around the edge, of one of the door facings, and positioning corresponding female alignment assemblies on the opposite door facing to mate with the male alignment assemblies.